Weighing apparatus for liquids



(ModeL) J. P. BALDWIN. WEIGHING APPARATUS FOR LIQUIDS.

No. 446,844. Patented Feb. 24, 1891.

WITNESSE EL (ZZwPaw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN PAUL BALDXVIN, OF BALDlVIN, LOUISIANA.

WEIGHING APPARATUS FOR LIQUIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,844, dated February 24, 1891.

Application filed November 26, 1889. Serial No. 331,640. (ModeL) To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN PAUL BALDWIN, of Baldwin, in the parish of St. Marys and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Veighin g Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic weighing devices; and it consists in certain features of construction and in combination of parts hereinafter described, and point-ed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view in perspective. Figs. 2 and 3 are end elevations of the container, showing different working positions. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, the same being a detail of the tripping device for shifting the feed-spout. Fig. 5 is a View in perspective of the trigger. Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of the movable feed-spout.

A and A are containers of the volute trough variety shown, these containers being alike and having a horizontal axis in common. At the rear end is an axial trunnion A (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1,) this trunnion being journaled in thehead of standard 13. At the forward end in place of a trunnion, I provide an annular flange A this flange being secured to the head of the container concentric with the axis thereof, this flange resting on rollers bl) of standards B B. The three standards rest on the platform or frame-work of the weighing-scale, of which scale scale-beam 0 forms a part.

D is a stationary feed-spout, this spout discharging into a short spout D, that in turn discharges into the container through opening a in the front head of the containers. Spout D is mounted on an upright spindle (Z, so that this spoutD' may vibrate laterally. In the position of parts shown in Fig. 1, spout D, being in position at the right hand, discharges into the lower container A. \Vhen the lower container shall have received the predetermined weight of material for which the scale is set, spout D is automatically shifted to the left hand, so as to discharge into the upper container A. The center of gravity of the liquid in the lower container is directly below the axis of the container, and the liquid has no tendency to rotate the container; but the liquid discharged into the upper container is to one side of the axis of the device, and hence when a sufficient quantity of liquid has accumulated in the upper container the gravity thereof causes the containers to revolve in the direction of the arrow, by which rotation the positions of the containers are reversed, container A, that was at the bottom, being carried above and container A taking its place below, the ascend ing container discharging its contents by gravity through opening a. Meantime spout D, that is discharging into the upper container, is slowly returned toward the right hand, so that this spout continues to discharge into the descending container, and continues to discharge into the container until it has reached its place below, where it remains at rest.

The mechanism for shifting spout D is as follows: This spout is moved instantly to ward the left hand bythe action of spring F, and is returned slowly to its position to the right hand by the action of lugs a a on the containers. Spindle (Z, on which spout D is mounted, is provided with arms (land (1 the former extending toward the container in position to be engaged alternately by the passing lugs to (L by which engagement the spout is moved to the right hand against the action of spring F. I will here remark that the spring F may be attached, as shown, directly to the spout, or, if preferred, this spring may be coiled around spindle (I. Just before the container that is being turned down has reached its position below, where it is to remain at rest for a time, thelug a engaging arm (1', becomes disengaged from the arm, and for holding spout D against the action of the spring in position at the right hand until such time as the lower container shall have received its load, a tripping device is provided as follows: Scale-beam O is of the forked variety shown and is fulcrumed at c. Gis a trigger pivoted to the scale-beam-for instance, at c-this trigger extending toward the fulcrum of the scalebeam and just in line with this fulcrum, having attached a small rod or pitman g, the latter in turn connecting with arm d aforesaid. A pin 0 extends from one prong to theother of the scale-beam, this pin being located directly under fulcrum c and the pin extending under the trigger, such pin constituting a stop or rest for the trigger, with the free end of the latter in line with the fulcrum of the scale-beam. With the forward or free end of the scale-beam in its normal or depressed position, the line of rod g is a trifle below the pivotal line 0' of the trigger, and hence the draft on rod cl, caused by the action of spring F, will not tilt the trigger upward, and

hence rod 9, if of proper length, will hold spout D against the action of spring F in its position at the right hand, where it discharges into the lower container. \Vhen the lower container shall have received its load, the forward end of the scale-beam is elevated, thereby depressing the rear end of the scale-beam. Such depression, while it does not move the free end of the trigger, depresses the rear end of the trigger until the pivotal line thereof is below the line of rod g, whereupon the trigger tilts upward by the draft on the rod to approximately the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 4, by which tilting of the trigger spout D is released and is instantly turned to the left hand by the action of spring F, in which left-hand position the spout, as aforesaid, discharges into the upper container. \Vhen the lug on the upper container, in turning down, shifts spout D to the right hand, the trigger returns to its normal or horizontal position, resting'on pin 0 thereby locking the movable spout. Spout D, being short, light, and mounted on a spindle, requires but little force to shift it, and hence spring F may be light, and the draft on rod 9 is usually only an ounce or two, more or less, and therefore the draft of this rod does not affect the scale-beam materially. The draft of the rod would'in theory add a little friction to the knife-edge fulcrum of the scale-beam;

but in balancing the scale with the empty containers and attachment such balancing is done with the trigger set, and hence such extra friction, howeverslight, is compensated in such adjustment. It will be seen, therefore, that the weighing is entirely automatic and continuous, and a registering device of ordinary construction may be connected with the containers, so that a days, weeks, or months work may be ascertained by consulting the register. This device is well adapted to weighing liquids-for instance, juices in sugar-house plant-and in the absence of valves small pieces of cane, leaves, and various substances that find their way into cane-juice will not clog or obstruct the operation of the apparatus.

For weighing liquids, containers A A may be of any desired length; but for weighing, for instance, grain, the containers should be short, for the reason that grain would not distribute through long containers. For weighing liquids, each container is provided with an internal wing (1 located, preferably, approximately as shown, such wings being secured to the shell of the container and extendingthe internal length thereof, eachwing having a series of holes near the union of shell and wing. It will be observed that the wing of the upper containeris above the liquid therein; but as this containerturns down the liquid therein must flow past the wing, and the wing retains and carries up with it a sufficient quantity of liquid to check the movement of the container, such liquid above the wing eventually draining through the holes therein and joining the liquid at the bottom of the container.

. What I claim is- 1. In weighing apparatus, the combination, with weigh -scale, and rotating containers mounted on such scale, such containers having an axis in common,of vibrating feed-spout and mechanism, substantially as indicated, for automatically shifting suchfeed-spout to alternately discharge into the respective containers, substantially as set forth.

2. In weighing apparatus, the combination, with scale-beam and a vibrating spout, of a trigger pivotally connected with the scalea spring for reversing the spout, such spoutbeing operatively connected with the trigger of thescale-beam, whereby the spout is held against the action of the spring, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification, in the presence of two witnesses, this 29th day of August, 1889.

JOHN PAUL BALD\VIN.

Witnesses:

O. H. DORER, ALBERT E. LYNCH. 

